Saint Lucia lancehead
| Saint Lucia lancehead | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Viperidae |
| Genus: | Bothrops |
| Species: | B. caribbaeus
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| Binomial name | |
| Bothrops caribbaeus (Garman, 1887)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Saint Lucia lancehead or Saint Lucia pit viper (Bothrops caribbaeus) is a species of venomous snake which is endemic to the West Indies.[1]
Geographic range and description
It is found only on the island of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles.[1] The snake is threatened and today limited to two areas of the island.[2] The only location outside of St. Lucia where these snakes are allowed to be kept is the Kentucky Reptile Zoo.[3]
The Saint Lucia lancehead can reach a total length in excess of 1.3 m (4.3 ft).[1] It is gray to gray-brown, with an irregular temporal stripe, and gray or brown markings that are distinct mid-dorsally and fade towards its sides.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Education Ltd., pp. 95–96, ISBN 0-333-69141-5.
- ^ "Saving the snakes of St Lucia", The Guardian Weekly, February 5, 2012, retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ http://www.wymt.com/content/news/Kentucky-Reptile-Zoo-breeds-rare-island-viper-390973861.html
Further reading
- Garman, S. 1887. On West Indian Reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Cambridge, Mass.
Proc. American Philos. Soc. Philadelphia 24: 278-286. ("Trigonocephalus caribbæus, sp n.", p. 285.) - Breach, K. (2009). Quantifying the Interactions Between Humans and Endemic Pit vipers (Bothrops caribbaeus) in Saint Lucia (MSc thesis, Imperial College London). http://www.iccs.org.uk/wp-content/thesis/consci/2009/Breach.docx
External links
- Bothrops caribbaeus at the Reptile Database
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